Most likely offseason outcome

[DuckIII]

One of the saddest parts of being a Bulls fan is realizing you probably spend more time thinking about how to improve the team than AKME does.

Perfectly stated.

I expect them do absolutely ZERO this off season and roll out the same starting lineup next year that got blown out by Miami at the end of season.

For this particular summer though, outside of hopefully trading Vuc, that’s exactly what I hope they do.

The fear that keeps me up at night, is AK thinking he already found the secret sauce and starts dumping future assets for some mediocre “star” to make the playoffs as quickly as possible.

[DuckIII]

One of the saddest parts of being a Bulls fan is realizing you probably spend more time thinking about how to improve the team than AKME does.

I expect them do absolutely ZERO this off season and roll out the same starting lineup next year that got blown out by Miami at the end of season.

My saddest part is two fold. 1) Bulls fans hate their own team. 2)

I’m somewhat sure you didn’t mean it this way but I’m going to point out an important distinction here because frankly it’s been incredibly unique.

Bulls fans hate Bulls management right now (and most of those same fans also hate ownership but I’m lukewarm on that one). Not the Bulls or the players.

One almost universal thing I have seen is that under the **** show of the AK regime is the fans for the most part have all really liked and supported the players even if critical of elements of their games or fit, etc.

The three most “hated” of these guys have been Zach, Vuc and Pat and even then those comments are often peppered with “seems like a great guy, or his teammates like him though” type of stuff.

The FO has not done well with the team, but they seem to have done really well with people. We’ve had lots of permutations of human beings that have been super easy to root for during all this, which has been a significant silver lining for me personally in what I consider to have been easily one of the worst eras of Bulls hoops of my lifetime, and I’m 51.

I will say that era appears to be closed. I’m now excited about where we are going, or can go, at least from a “this is fun to watch” perspective.

[DuckIII]

I see where I misread what you wrote, you were talking about the team not playing well rather than Coby. I'm not sure what I wrote back that makes you think I was being a jerk. I didn't discount or insult your opinion. I stated where I think Coby's value will be in different scenarios and why.

I always take that emoji as being condescending. My bad. He's staring at me though... Judging me......

HAha, I take it literally, it's the "don't know", maybe I should stop using it if people think it's offensive. I use it to mean "maybe, maybe not".

I got a laugh at Guru’s post and +1 it because I’ve always interpreted it the same way he did. Not “offensive” but more like “no way in hell” kinda way. Guru and I are probably just projecting.

[DuckIII]

Where’s the Coby/PWill/Jalen Smith/fillers/#12/Portland pick for Jamal Murray trade? Now that’s the AK Special.

Exactly. Make a smart pick, trade Vuc if you can, let the young roster do its thing, evaluate for a year, let the chips fall where they may.

Do not rush. I don’t think this is a playoff or possibly not even play-in team next year unless Matas blows the roof off, which I heavily doubt. To me that’s a year 4 projection for him, late year 3 maybe. Get another solid draft pick to use or trade, get more info about your roster, and then start being a little more affirmative with your moves to start building something more set.

P.S. Just saw the posts calling this type of plan dumb, which I get given AK’s incredible ability to waste player value. But part of evaluating the team means evaluating Coby White. I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all to evaluate Coby White given the nature of the last two months of the season. If that’s real, that’s a keeper.

As for Ayo and really any other role players on the team, I think most of us assume “standing pat with only minor moves” means trading any of those guys to maybe move up a couple of spots in the draft, trade for other role players, trade for second rounders to open up a roster spot, etc. I don’t think it means “do nothing and let the assets rot.” At least that’s not what I mean.

[dougthonus]

So here's my optimistic view. This team is a good defensive C, good POA defender, an improved Matas, and a sustained Coby away from being a legit playoff team. All very possible. If somehow we replace Coby with a top 20 player, we could be downright exciting.

Because we're in the East, and the East remains just god awful bad, that may not be so far off. Next year, might be the actual weakest the East has ever been.

[Guru]

I always take that emoji as being condescending. My bad. He's staring at me though... Judging me......

HAha, I take it literally, it's the "don't know", maybe I should stop using it if people think it's offensive. I use it to mean "maybe, maybe not".

I got a laugh at Guru’s post and +1 it because I’ve always interpreted it the same way he did. Not “offensive” but more like “no way in hell” kinda way. Guru and I are probably just projecting.

Its certainly my own insecurities. I will admit that.

[kodo]

Honestly, it's not that dumb. Waiting a season to see if Coby's elevated play is real or a mirage isn't a bad move...I'm skeptical based on how he finished the season. He very well could be just a bumslayer who looked good because half the league was either injured or tanking. In that case, his market value will drop. That said, I'm rooting for him because he strikes me as a hard worker and those guys always outperform expectations. If he shows he can excel against good teams, I have no problem paying up.

Ayo, sort of same deal. He's been on a downward trajectory since his rookie season. His defense went from above average to just average. Think he bulked up and lost quickness like Lauri, PWill and Carter. I think his likely scenario will be that he is our 9th/10th man next season with a down year in scoring (impacted by his shoulder recovery). There's a good chance he can be kept for cheap, which I'd do with his bounce-back upside.

In a sense, it may not be that dumb, only because you've done dumb stuff for so long, that there is almost no dumb move, because you've boxed yourself in so much that there really is no good move either. You are left with a long list of 'meh' moves to remain the 20th-ish best team in the league.

So here's my optimistic view. This team is a good defensive C, good POA defender, an improved Matas, and a sustained Coby away from being a legit playoff team. All very possible. If somehow we replace Coby with a top 20 player, we could be downright exciting.

Detroit went from "worst team in the history of the NBA" to a playoff team in 1 summer, and they added...Tobias Harris?
It was a +30 W change and I thought they did relatively nothing.

The biggest change was they fired Monty Williams.

[Guru]

the most likely outcome

1-We draft BPA Big/Forward at 12
2-We try in vain to trade Vuc, he stays, we publicly state why that's great
3-White stays but in the end we shop him too because we are mid and don't want to pay him. We are building around...
4-Giddey re-signs for a very big deal that many say is too much. Giddey-Buz-Employee #12 are our building blocks with an eye on adding to them through the 2026 draft.
5-Tre Jones walks

[WindyCityBorn]

Draft Asa Newell.

[jnrjr79]

I wouldn't be shocked if Coby were traded, nor if he were retained. I think that one is tough to predict. It really comes down to whether you're willing to give our significant deals to both Coby and Giddey.

I wouldn't be shocked if Coby were traded, but I'd be reasonably surprised. AK has not in any circumstance ever shown himself to be a guy who can think one season ahead. The idea that we might have to worry about future contracts or total salary over any length of time doesn't seem like a thing he'd bother doing based on past history.

The only reason it wouldn't be shocking is that it might make a lot of sense depending on the return, but from a process perspective, it'd be really surprising.

I think the thing that is unsaid here is that AK did not draft Coby White, which IMO has to be considered when evaluating the likeliness of a trade.

[meekrab]

I wouldn't be shocked if Coby were traded, nor if he were retained. I think that one is tough to predict. It really comes down to whether you're willing to give our significant deals to both Coby and Giddey.

I wouldn't be shocked if Coby were traded, but I'd be reasonably surprised. AK has not in any circumstance ever shown himself to be a guy who can think one season ahead. The idea that we might have to worry about future contracts or total salary over any length of time doesn't seem like a thing he'd bother doing based on past history.

The only reason it wouldn't be shocking is that it might make a lot of sense depending on the return, but from a process perspective, it'd be really surprising.

I think the thing that is unsaid here is that AK did not draft Coby White, which IMO has to be considered when evaluating the likeliness of a trade.

On the other hand, Coby's now the only player who was here before AK, so he must like Coby more than whatever Coby's been worth in trade talks.

[jnrjr79]

I wouldn't be shocked if Coby were traded, but I'd be reasonably surprised. AK has not in any circumstance ever shown himself to be a guy who can think one season ahead. The idea that we might have to worry about future contracts or total salary over any length of time doesn't seem like a thing he'd bother doing based on past history.

The only reason it wouldn't be shocking is that it might make a lot of sense depending on the return, but from a process perspective, it'd be really surprising.

I think the thing that is unsaid here is that AK did not draft Coby White, which IMO has to be considered when evaluating the likeliness of a trade.

On the other hand, Coby's now the only player who was here before AK, so he must like Coby more than whatever Coby's been worth in trade talks.

I assume any player on the roster is by definition someone the FO likes more than what was available in trade talks, though it's telling that Coby has been in trade talks, so it's not like he's viewed as untouchable.

[sco]

I think the thing that is unsaid here is that AK did not draft Coby White, which IMO has to be considered when evaluating the likeliness of a trade.

On the other hand, Coby's now the only player who was here before AK, so he must like Coby more than whatever Coby's been worth in trade talks.

I assume any player on the roster is by definition someone the FO likes more than what was available in trade talks, though it's telling that Coby has been in trade talks, so it's not like he's viewed as untouchable.

I'll add that IIRC, AK gave Coby praise after the season. Very few guys received praise from AK.

[kodo]

I wouldn't be shocked if Coby were traded, but I'd be reasonably surprised. AK has not in any circumstance ever shown himself to be a guy who can think one season ahead. The idea that we might have to worry about future contracts or total salary over any length of time doesn't seem like a thing he'd bother doing based on past history.

The only reason it wouldn't be shocking is that it might make a lot of sense depending on the return, but from a process perspective, it'd be really surprising.

I think the thing that is unsaid here is that AK did not draft Coby White, which IMO has to be considered when evaluating the likeliness of a trade.

On the other hand, Coby's now the only player who was here before AK, so he must like Coby more than whatever Coby's been worth in trade talks.

True but 30 out of 30 GMs would sign Coby at $11M.
Once Coby asks for more, I wonder how much AK really loves him. Bulls offered Lauri $15M per year, he wanted $18M (what he signed for), we traded him over the $3M gap (and perhaps a fit issue w/ Vuc).

Similarly we know AK valued Caruso, at $9M. AC asked for (and got from OKC) $20M, and AK didn't like him enough to keep him at $20M and traded him.

If Coby's price tag goes up dramatically, AK may not need a great return to move Coby. It's better than letting Coby walk for nothing.

[PistolP]

My guess at the moment:

Draft KJ at 12
Resign Giddey for 5/150 before FA starts
S&T for Kuminga at $25-30m per year
Try to trade Vuc but AK can’t find “acceptable” return so run it back with him as starting 5

[burlydee]

My prediction:

1. Bulls draft big forward or a center.
2. Bulls resign Giddey 5 years $150 million
3. Bulls trade Ball
4. Bulls trade for Kuminga 3 years, $60 million, sending back Collins, Ball, Smith, Vuc or Huerter (but I think they want to keep Huerter and Collins)
5. Bulls sign Tre Jones to 2 years at mid level.

Giddey / Jones / Carter
Coby / Ayo / Horton-Tucker
Matas / Huerter /Terry
Kuminga / PWill / Phillips
Collins / Queen / Smith

[The Force.]

A competent front office would move Coby and Vuc for whatever they could get to improve draft position and avoid overpaying mediocre talent.

For this front office standing pat would be preferable because I’m terrified of who they would trade for (Kuminga, Sabonis, etc.) and what they’d give up.

[sco]

A competent front office would move Coby and Vuc for whatever they could get to improve draft position and avoid overpaying mediocre talent.

For this front office standing pat would be preferable because I’m terrified of who they would trade for (Kuminga, Sabonis, etc.) and what they’d give up.

I've been against drafting Queen, but if we did that and it saved us from trading for Sabonis, I might be ok. I fail to understand the value of a non-shot-blocking C in today's NBA.

[Andi Obst]

My guess at the moment:

Draft KJ at 12
Resign Giddey for 5/150 before FA starts
S&T for Kuminga at $25-30m per year
Try to trade Vuc but AK can’t find “acceptable” return so run it back with him as starting 5

Who are the Bulls trading to Golden State in that scenario? I'd expect Vuc to be part of any possible deal.

[Muzbar]

I went Bare minimum, because that's ACTUALLY the AK special. Also, the Bulls don't have many roster spots to go around with so many players still under contract.

It'll be:

Draft Queen (gross) and some draft and stash project that'll never turn out.
Resign Giddey (hopefully no more than 30m per)
Resign Tre Jones
Go on vacation.